How to Make All Natural Egg Dye

Learn How to Make All Natural Egg Dye from common kitchen ingredients!

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This natural food coloring is perfect for when you’re wondering what to use instead of food coloring!

Natural food coloring

These all natural dyes are perfect when you want to make colorful foods without conventional food coloring. Perfect for dyeing Easter eggs or making Colorful Deviled Eggs. You can also use these natural dyes for dying cotton, twine, and other organic materials.

Ingredients

• Chopped beets – or simply substitute jarred pickled beet liquid for a vibrant jeweled toned magenta.
• Yellow onion skins – natural yellow/gold to orange depending on how long the soak
• Red onion skins – lavender to red depending on how long the soak
• Turmeric root or substitute powdered turmeric if fresh turmeric root is unavailable. – bright yellow
• Red cabbage – light violet to blue
• Blueberry juice from either fresh or frozen blueberries or bottled juice- dark blue
• Hibiscus flowers or a hibiscus blend tea – pink eggs
• Hard boiled eggs – either peeled or unpeeled. White eggs or brown eggs can be used and each will produce a beautiful range of different colors.

Step by step instructions

1. Prepare ingredients by chopping.
2. Place each in a separate saucepan, working in batches if necessary, and cover with water.

3. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer.

4. Most ingredients will need to simmer for at least 30 minutes to reach a dark shade. Check shade by dripping dye onto a white dish or paper towel. The dye is ready when the test color is a few shades darker than the shade you want for your eggs.

5. Remove from heat and let cool.
6. Strain using a fine mesh strainer to remove solids. Discard solids.
7. Add a splash of vinegar, about a tablespoon per cup of liquid, to help the color take more quickly and vibrantly.
8. If using to color eggs submerge hard boiled eggs, either peeled or unpeeled, in dye and allow to sit until desired shade is achieved. For darker, brighter color let soak longer. Unpeeled eggs may even benefit from an overnight soak in the refrigerator to allow the all natural food dye to penetrate the egg shell.

9. Remove eggs with tongs and pat dry.
10. Shine with a little vegetable oil if desired.
11. Enjoy!

How to use

Use Natural Egg Dye to dye hard boiled eggs for Easter. Or color empty egg shells to make cascarones. You can even use this to color peeled hard boiled eggs to make Colorful Deviled Eggs!

How to Make All Natural Egg Dye

Learn How to Make All Natural Egg Dye from common kitchen ingredients!

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Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Chilling time: 1 hour hour

Total Time: 1 hour hour 50 minutes minutes

Author: Tristin Rieken

Ingredients

• Chopped beets or simply substitute jarred pickled beet liquid for a vibrant jeweled toned magenta.
• Yellow onion skins – natural yellow/gold to orange depending on how long the soak
• Red onion skins – lavender to red depending on how long the soak
• Turmeric root or substitute powdered turmeric if fresh turmeric root is unavailable for bright yellow
• Red cabbage – light violet to blue
• Blueberry juice from either fresh or frozen blueberries or bottled juice- dark blue
• Hibiscus flowers or a hibiscus blend tea – pink eggs
• Hard boiled eggs – either peeled or unpeeled

Instructions

• Prepare ingredients by chopping.
• Place each in a separate saucepan, working in batches if necessary, and cover with a few inches of water.
• Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer. Most ingredients will need to simmer for at least 30 minutes to reach a dark shade. Check shade by dripping dye onto a white dish or paper towel. The dye is ready when the test color is a few shades darker than the shade you want for your eggs.
• Remove from heat and let cool.
• Strain using a fine mesh strainer to remove solids.
• Add a splash of vinegar, about a tablespoon per cup of liquid, to help the color take more quickly and vibrantly.
• If using to color eggs submerge hard boiled eggs, either peeled or unpeeled, in dye and allow to sit until desired shade is achieved. For darker, brighter color let soak longer. Unpeeled eggs may even benefit from an overnight soak in the refrigerator to allow the all natural food dye to penetrate the egg shell.
• Remove eggs with tongs and pat dry.
• Shine eggshells with a little vegetable oil if desired.

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